A UK medical fetish company has donated its entire stock of scrubs to the National Health Service after claims frontline medical staff do not have enough protective equipment during the coronavirus crisis.

MedFet UK announced on social media it had made the donation after being contacted by NHS bosses.

"Today we donated our entire stock of disposable scrubs to an NHS hospital," MedFet UK -- which describes itself on its website as an "online store for all your needle play medical fetish and roleplay supplies" -- announced on Twitter. "It was just a few sets, because we don't carry large stocks, but they were desperate, so we sent them free of charge."

It added: "We have been contacted this week by representatives of NHS procurement all over the country, trying to source basic protective equipment and clothing."

The problem of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff, who have complained about a scarcity of items such as face masks and medical scrubs, has become a contentious issue within the UK since the outbreak of the pandemic.

It has placed pressure on government ministers, amid claims the lack of PPE reflects a shortfall in funding to public health services in recent years. Speaking on Sunday, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government, which has blamed global shortages of kit, was working to get more equipment to health staff.

"We simply cannot and should not ask people to be on the frontline without the right protective equipment," he said.

Jenrick said 170 million masks, 42.8 million gloves, 13.7 million aprons, 182,000 gowns, nearly 10 million items of cleaning equipment and 2.3 million pairs of eye protectors were being delivered.